The Fall of a Crown Prince
by Vampire Death Kiss
Summary: After his little brother Bowser Jr. replaces him as crown prince, Ludwig realizes there is only one option to regain his former role... Warning: Character death at the end of the story!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: After realizing that my other story was a little on the broad side and I have had a writer's block with that story, I've decided to write another one. I'm much more comfortable with this usual, none of the characters belong to me, they belong to Nintendo. Warning!: Character death at the end of the story!

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The Fall of a Crown Prince:Chapter 1

It's another dark, gloomy day within the Valley of Bowser. In the center of it resides one of many of the Koopa King Bowser's castles. Now old King Bowser had children which he had to take care of. Eight children. Right now, we are going to put the focus on his first-born child, his eldest.

The fellow, Ludwig von Koopa, named after the famous composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, was currently in his room upstairs, composing Koopa symphonies on his grand piano. He found comfort in his love for classical music, and he was deeply involved in his composing at the moment to keep his mind off of a situation that has been bothering him lately.

You see, Ludwig being the oldest koopaling, he was declared at a toddler age, by his dad, to be the crown prince, to become the next King of the Koopas when his dad kicked the bucket. The thought of such an enormous responsibility filled Ludwig with such anxiety and nervousness, but after a while, he also began to realize that being king would also be an exhilarating experience. As King of the Koopas, he would rule over everyone in the Darklands, he would do a much better job than his dad did at trying to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, and after that, possibly have the whole world succumb to his authority. With his sophistication, arrogance, high intelligence, and malicious nature, he fit the part of a good evil king perfectly. For many years, Ludwig had been preparing for his future occupation: researching history of the royal Koopa family, has already graduated from a major university at the age of thirteen, and has been leading his siblings on major plots to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Everything seemed to be going so well… until Bowser Jr. came along.

Ever since he helped his dad on the attack on Isle Delfino, Bowser has seemed to be favoring Jr. over the rest of his children, which has made Ludwig worry. After all, Jr. seemed to mirror his dad in many aspects. Physically, he looks just like Bowser did when Bowser was just a little kid. Personality-wise, Jr. shared a lot of his dad's traits: he's tough for his age, short-tempered, loves to cause mischief, and especially loves to fight against Mario, his dad's archrival. When Jr. led his older brothers and sister in one of their latest plots to kidnap Princess Peach, which involved a birthday cake, Ludwig already knew that his dad has replaced him, with his youngest sibling. But it wasn't officially confirmed until Ludwig overheard his dad, Jr., and Kamek talking about how Jr. was the spitting image of his dad and was perfect for the role of King of the Koopas, and Bowser told Jr. that he was officially the new crown prince.

When Ludwig overheard this, it severely broke his heart. All his years of preparation for the role of king that was rightfully his, only to be replaced by his bratty, whiny, spoiled youngest brother. Oh, how he felt so betrayed! Every time he thought about Jr. becoming the new crown prince, it utterly repulsed him. He absolutely WAS NOT going to take being ruled over by his little brother. If he must rebel against his father, he would.

As he was putting the finishing touches on his latest symphony, he thought about the many approaches to his situation. _I could take the classy approach and talk to Father about it, maybe even show him the horns I've developed over the years, _he thought to himself. Out of all of Bowser's children, Jr. was the only one that appeared to ever have any sort of horn development. Wendy, Roy, and Morton were bald, so they couldn't hide horns, and Lemmy and Larry had Mohawks, which were on the center of their heads and couldn't hide horns growing on either side of their head. Iggy, who used to have a rainbow Mohawk, now had lime-green, palm tree-style hair, but even his new hairstyle couldn't hide the growth of horns, considering his hairstyle was still in the center of his head and stuck straight up. Ludwig, on the other hand, had dark blue, wacky, puffy hair that was parted perfectly in the center of his head. It was the perfect hairstyle for hiding any signs of horn development, which was the main reason he wore his hair that way. Actually, at a toddler age, he already began to develop his horns, but because of the way he wore his hair, his father never suspected it and just assumed that Ludwig would never develop horns, like his other siblings. The truth was, Ludwig really would've told his father before, but he was embarrassed of his horns; he believed they made him look like a monster, just like his father, and that everyone would begin to have an immense fear towards him and never pay attention to the sophistication of his ways. But if he showed his father his horns now, then maybe his father would see that he truly had the potential to be king and let him become crown prince again. _But he won't listen,_ Ludwig told himself, _He pays too much attention to that little twerp to even consider anything I tell or show him._

_I could be like Wendy and throw an enormous temper tantrum until Father gets so annoyed that he decides to make me crown prince again to shut me up!...But, look how immature that makes me appear…Why Father would lose all respect for me, seeing his eldest child having a fit like a mere four year old. Why even Kamek and my siblings would lose respect for me, seeing me act in such a way!_

Ludwig then thought about bribes, but his dad wouldn't listen, wouldn't care. He thought about threats, but he knew what his father was capable of, so he knew that wasn't the intelligent thing to do. Then, he thought to himself, he could always just leave the situation be, just let his youngest brother get to boss him around, and he would have to be little Jr.'s slave and let Jr. gain everything that HE desired. _And he probably would rule over the kingdom in a similar fashion that Father does. After all, he IS Bowser JR., _Ludwig chuckled to himself, then became serious again. _But we would be doomed to another reign of poorly done ruling, and I can't let that happen! But I've run out of options. What to do?!_

Ludwig got up off of his piano chair and paced back and forth, pondering over his possible options. Finally, one option struck him like a bolt of lightning, but he silently cursed himself for even considering going that low to get what he wanted. _But if I go through with this without being found out, then Father would have to make me crown prince! Besides, was it right for Father to replace me with bratty Jr.? ABSOLUTELY NOT! _

Ludwig walked over to his nightstand and rummaged through the top drawer. He pulled out a rather large, very sharp kitchen knife. He guiltily scrunched up his face in anguish, "This feels so wrong…" but then his face turned up in a sadistic smile, and his eyes glowed with a devious aura. "but it feels so right!" He slowly slid his nightstand drawer back to its original position, placed the knife in a pouch to keep it from slicing him as he placed it inside his shell, and walked out of his room, keeping that same sneaky look on his face, closing and locking his door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I greatly appreciate them! Anyway, here's chapter 2! All the characters of this story are property of Nintendo.

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The Fall of a Crown Prince: Chapter 2

Ludwig walked slowly down the stairs. When he reached the bottom floor, he nearly tripped over Larry as he was running away from Roy, who was ready to pound his little brother to bits. Roy was the bully of the family, and he loved to bully his little brothers, including Larry. Ludwig was a little taken aback by the sudden scurry, but he was annoyed by his brothers' immaturity. "Watch where you're going!" Ludwig shouted with a loud, annoyed tone.

"But Roy's trying to bully me!" Larry whined.

"It's yo poundin' time, you know dat," Roy said matter-of-factly.

"I really don't care," Ludwig retorted, "but your childish acts nearly caused me to trip. Such foolish brothers I have!" He stomped off, shaking his head along the way. "But what did I do?" Larry complained, and Roy stated, "What got his panties up in a wad?!"

As Ludwig walked down the hall, he passed by Iggy's lab. Iggy was in there, working on his latest experiment. Ludwig decided to ask him a question, "Why, salutations, dear brother Iggy! I hope I'm not being much of a bother, but do you know what attracts small children the most? You know, what really interests them and gets their attention?"

"Well…," Iggy hesitated to think, then responded, "Small children, of course, tend to enjoy playing with toys, but what really sparks their interest is going places: the park, the carnival, the zoo, a restaurant, you name it!" Iggy started giggling maniacally, but then stopped himself, "Yeah, little kids really love to go places!"

"Wow, how intriguing…," Ludwig said and pondered over that for just a second before an idea hit him. "Well Iggy, thank you for answering my question." With an appreciative smile, Ludwig wondered off, leaving an inquisitive Iggy to wonder why he asked such a question.

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Ludwig walked throughout the hall, searching around until he found what he was looking for, his little brother, Bowser Jr. He found Bowser Jr. playing around with Lemmy. He tried balancing on one of Lemmy's circus balls, but failed miserably at doing so. He would fall off the ball, climb back on it, and then a few seconds later, fall back off it again. Lemmy giggled at his younger brother's failed attempts to balance on his circus ball. After a while, Jr. started getting frustrated. "Lemmy, I don't see how you do this, balancing on circus balls. I can't do it; it's so friggin' hard," he said with an upset voice.

Lemmy stopped giggling and told him, "It's not going to be easy at first, but with a little practice, you'll eventually get the hang of it!" Lemmy gave Jr. a reassuring smile and gave his little brother a tight hug. "Well, I'll see ya later, Jr.! I'm gonna see what Iggy's up to!"

Ludwig, standing quietly near Lemmy's doorway, watched as Lemmy walked out of his room and skipped happily off to Iggy's lab. Lemmy never even looked in Ludwig's direction and obviously didn't know he was there. With a satisfied smile, Ludwig walked into Lemmy's room. He then greeted Jr. "Hello, my dear brother, Bowser Jr., it's been a rather glorious day today, wouldn't you agree?"

"Um, yeah, I guess so," Jr. replied, "but it's only like, 11:30 or something, so there ain't much to say about it right now. What do you want from me?"

Well, my dear brother, I've realized that I rarely spend time with my youngest brother, so, you know, I've decided that we should make today a brothers' day!"

"Brothers' day?" Jr. said with a confused tone.

"Yes, a brothers' day. A day where we go to a variety of different places and participate in fun activities. We will spend time together, just us two brothers."

Hearing this, Jr.'s face lit up and he squealed in excitement. "We can go to the movies, eat out at a cool restaurant, ride on the ferris wheel at the carnival, and play golf at a really awesome golf course?!"

"Yes, all of that, plus more…," Ludwig replied to Jr.

Jr. happily shouted, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! But, does Papa know?"

"Of course he does; he said it was okay," Ludwig said that as if it should be obvious, "however, the rest of our siblings don't know about this, so don't tell them about it."

"Okay, I won't tell them! When do we get to go?!" Jr. screamed with impatient enthusiasm.

"Well, I was planning on us to start this brothers' day off right away!" Ludwig said with a smile.

"Yippee!" Jr. shouted and hopped up and down with such excitement that he couldn't contain.

A thought hit Ludwig and he told Jr., "Little brother, I have to get something from my room. If you would please go ahead and go outside and wait near the castle. I will meet you there in just a bit."

"Okay!" Jr. said.

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Ludwig went out of Lemmy's room first, towards the stairs that would lead him to his own room, then Jr. came out next, going towards the direction of the huge front double- doors. Jr. nearly reached the front doors until a voice that said, "Where do you, like, think you're going?" caught him by surprise. Jr. froze for a second, then turned to see his older sister, Wendy, standing just a few feet away from him, with her arms crossed. Wendy was the only girl in the family, and apparently, for that reason, she believes that she should be her daddy's favorite child. But nowadays, she acts like she's envious of Jr. and always tries to find ways to get him in trouble. She says he's a spoiled brat, but that's what he thought about her. He remembered what Ludwig said about their other siblings not knowing about the brothers' day, and if Wendy found out, she would tell their dad and start throwing a temper tantrum. Jr. decided to tell her, "I'm going to the toy store. I wanna go see what new, cool toys they have there."

"Well, okay then. Have fun," Wendy said, with a smirk evident on her gigantic lips.

"Bye sis," Jr. told Wendy, then headed out the double-doors. When Jr. was outside the castle, Wendy thought happily to herself, _I'll give Jr. an hour or two to get back. If he isn't back by then, then I'll tell Daddy on him!_ She snickered, then walked off to her room, which was upstairs.

* * *

Ludwig was in his room now, thinking to himself, _I've got Jr. right where I want him! Now, all I have to do is throw suspicion off me._ Ludwig walked over to his CD rack, which was filled with several CDs, mainly classical music and some opera, and chose a CD with twenty songs on it. Then, he plugged up his CD player, placed the CD in it, and pressed the play button. He then turned it up loud enough until the piano playing on the CD was blaring enough to be heard a bit outside the room. _Perfect, Father and my siblings will believe that I've spent all day in my room composing symphonies. They would never suspect that I've spent all day having fun with Jr.! Now, I must escape the castle through my bedroom window._

Before he went to his window, however, he quickly rummaged through his nightstand drawer and pulled out a rope and a small remote control. He then pushed his drawer back in its original place and walked over to his window. He pressed the open button on the remote control, which opened his window, crawled out through the window opening and stood on the ledge. He then threw one end of the rope to the ground while holding on to the other end, then placed that end of the rope inside his room and pressed the close button on the remote control, which closed the window on the rope. Ludwig then slid down the rope until his feet touched the ground, opened his window with the remote control, yanked the rope out of his room, and reclosed his window.

He placed the rope and remote control inside his shell and searched around the outside of the castle until he found Jr., who waited at the side of the castle like he was told to. Jr. greeted Ludwig with a, "What took you so long?! Can we go now?!"

Ludwig laughed at his brother's impatience, and then replied, "I told you I had to get something from my room; I was only away for a bit! Now, however, we can officially go celebrate this wonderful brothers' day! Are you ready little brother?!" Ludwig tried to sound as excited as Jr. has been sounding before. Jr. let out a squeal and said, "Oh yes!"

"Well then, let's go!" Ludwig said, then Jr. and he walked side-by-side, away from their dad's castle.

"Man, this is gonna be fun!" Jr. cheerfully said.

"I agree, my dear brother!" Ludwig said, with a devious smile and thought to himself, _Yes Jr., this IS going to be fun!_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Once again, thank you for the reviews! Ever since school has started again, it's been harder to find time to write. But, here's Chapter 3! All characters are property of Nintendo.

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The Fall of a Crown Prince: Chapter 3

Ludwig and Bowser Jr. were traversing down a long path. After a while, Jr. became bored and asked Ludwig, "Are we there yet? We've been walking on this road for hours!"

Ludwig chuckled to himself, then he told Jr., "Brother, we've only been on this path for about thirty minutes. It will only take us a bit before we reach the destination we desire. Just a bit, Jr., then we will have the time of our lives!" Ludwig's smile widened at his brother's impatience, but he had a glint of deceitfulness in his eyes, something that Jr. was too excited to notice, but too young to even understand what he was getting into. Ludwig thought to himself, _All it takes is a day of enjoyment to lure the little child. This is easier than I thought!_

They continued down the path until they came to a strange city. "Well, here we are; this is where we'll spend our brothers' day: the delightful Exciteclubba City!" Jr. stared awestruck at the gigantic city filled with all sorts of clubbas, as well as several shy guys, ninjis, and boos. There was a huge amusement park, an enormous golf course, some restaurants, and a gigantic beach just from what they could see. "Oh yeah! Yippee!!!," Jr. screamed with such excitement. "Oh, what should we do first?!"

"Well…, we haven't eaten lunch yet, and it's past noon, so we should go to one of the fantastic restaurants first. Jr., I'll let you choose which one we eat at," Ludwig told him.

"I'm in the mood for spicy food! How about a Mexican restaurant?" Jr. replied.

"That sounds delightful!" Ludwig agreed. Bowser and his children were very fond of food that was hot and spicy, and Mexican restaurants are some of the best places to get such food.

Ludwig led Jr. to a restaurant that said "El Hombre Timido Mexican Restaurant" on it's door. When they went inside, they were greeted by a shy guy who sported a sombrero and a big, bushy, brown mustache. "¡Hola, mis amigos! ¿Cómo estás?"

Ludwig and Jr. looked at the shy guy, puzzled, until Ludwig replied, "We would like a table to eat at, if that's alright."

"Oh ok, amigos, my apologies. I will find you two a mesa for you to dine at!" the shy guy told them.

"That would be pleasing," Ludwig said. So Ludwig and Jr. followed the shy guy to an open table. When they were seated, the shy guy told them, "Ok, amigos, look through your menus and then tell me what meal you would like to order." Ludwig and Jr. looked through their menus until they knew what thy wanted. Ludwig then started to place the order. " I'll have two chicken fajitas, two tacos, and a Dr. Koopa, please," he told the shy guy.

"And a steak quesadilla for me! Oh, and I want a Dr. Koopa too!" Jr. happily said.

"Ok, two chicken fajitas, two tacos, a steak quesadilla, and two Dr. Koopas, will that be all, amigos?" the shy guy asked.

"Yes," Ludwig replied.

"Ok, I will bring you your food, and your bill, shortly," the shy guy told them.

When the sombrero-wearing shy guy walked off, Jr. excitedly told Ludwig, "Oh boy, today's gonna be a fun day! By the way, where are we going next, Ludwig?"

Ludwig thought for a moment, then told Jr., "Well, after eating, we should let our food digest. Why don't we stop by the mall and let you go in the toy store; maybe I'll let you buy something in there?"

"Really? That would be so cool!" Jr. said, then remembered something, "Y'know, that reminds me. Before I went out of the castle, Wendy asked me where I was going."

Ludwig had a strained look on his face as he thought to himself,_ Wendy, trying to get others in trouble, as usual,_ and then he asked Jr., "What did you tell her?"

Jr. had a big grin on his face as he told Ludwig, "I told her I was going to the toy store! I think she believed me, but now I won't be lying about it!"

Ludwig breathed a sigh of relief and told Jr., "That's good."

Several minutes passed before the shy guy came back with two platters, one with each of the koopas' meals. As the shy guy placed each platter in front of one of the koopas, he told them, "I hope you enjoy these deliciosos meals." Then he gave Ludwig a black wallet-like thing. "Your bill is inside this. Place your coins inside this when you are through with your meals. If you need anything, tell me amigos!" the shy guy told them.

As the shy guy walked off, the two brothers started their meals. "Mmm, this is so yummy!" Jr. said with a satisfied expression on his face.

"I agree, this food is rather scrumptious!" Ludwig agreed with the same satisfied expression as his brother.

After they finished their delicious meals, Ludwig put the forty coins the meal cost in the black wallet, placed a ten coin tip beside the wallet, and Jr. and he headed out the door, saying goodbye to their mustached shy guy waiter as he replied with an, "Adiós, amigos!"

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After leaving the Mexican restaurant, they walked until they were in front of a huge mall. They walked inside the crammed-pack mall, and both gawked at how enormous it was. There must've been over one thousand stores in there! They walked in front of several clothing stores, a lot of sports stores, and a bunch of electronics stores until they finally found a toy store. Jr. happily ran inside it, Ludwig following close behind.

They looked through several sections filled with toy cars, robots, building blocks, and more until Jr. stopped in the action figure section. The action figure Jr. was looking at was an exact replica of his dad, Bowser. Jr. squealed, "I want this! It's an action figure of Papa!"

Ludwig smiled and told him, "Let's go to the check-out section and buy it then!," then thought to himself, _Typical, of course Jr. will want it if it has to do with Father!_ So they bought the toy, went out of the store, and Jr. opened the toy and threw its container away.

As the two were walking, Ludwig stopped in front of a music store. Ludwig then told Jr., "Jr., I let you go to a toy store; now it's my turn to go to a store of my liking!"

So, they went inside the music store, and Ludwig stood awestruck at all the exquisite pianos and violins he saw. "Oh, how wonderful! I could live in here!" he happily squealed in delight. He ran back and forth to several different instruments, admiring their amazing quality. Jr. just stood in one spot with his Bowser action figure, looking at Ludwig with amazement. He was astonished by how his oldest brother, at his age and with his classy personality, can still act as excited as he gets when he gets a new toy he wants or gets to have fun. _And over boring stuff like this,_ Jr. thought to himself. After he was done looking at all the instruments he liked, Ludwig, along with Jr., walked out of the store, and Ludwig thought to himself, _I need to remember to come back to this store one day!_

They then walked through the huge crowds until they were out of the mall. They rested on a bench beside the mall entrance, and Jr. asked Ludwig, "Can we go play golf now? Regular golf first, then mini-golf?"

Ludwig replied to Jr. with a, "Sure, but let's rest up a bit first." So, after a few minutes, they headed off for the huge golf course they saw when they first got to Exciteclubba City.

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**A/N: Dr. Koopa is a pun on Dr. Pepper. Anyway, Chapter 4 coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here's Chapter 4! Thank you, once again, for the reviews! All characters are property of Nintendo and M&Ms are property of M&Ms/Mars Company.

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The Fall of a Crown Prince: Chapter 4

When they got to the golf course, Ludwig paid the clubba cashier for being able to play on the course and for the use of golf clubs that were provided to them, then they set off for the first hole.

Ludwig let Jr. go first, since he was younger, and Jr. placed his Bowser figure in his shell, got one of his clubs, and took a hard swing on the golf ball. Ludwig was amazed by how good Jr.'s first swing was. Jr.'s ball was already close to the green. Then it was Ludwig's turn.

Ludwig took a swing at the golf ball, but as he reared the golf club back to swing and hit the golf ball, the golf club slipped out of his hands and broke a window. Ludwig's face reddened with embarrassment as a few onlookers and golfers stared at him, and Jr. just bawled out with laughter. Ludwig tried again and managed to hit the ball, but it went far right, bounced off a tree, and hit him smack in the forehead. Ludwig started shouting German obscenities all while he got more stares and more of Jr.'s howling laughter.

Ludwig tried again and again until finally he was able to get the ball to land on the green. Then, Jr. finally got another turn, and he landed the ball perfectly into the hole and got an eagle. Then Ludwig went through several tries to knock the golf ball into the hole until it finally happened. The next seventeen holes were done in a very similar fashion, and after finishing the eighteenth hole, Jr. extremely creamed Ludwig scoring wise.

After leaving the golf course, Jr. laughed at Ludwig as he told him, "You stink at golf! I've never seen anybody play golf THAT bad!"

Ludwig, with a VERY red face, replied to Jr., "Hopefully, mini-golf will be better." Unfortunately, for Ludwig, it wasn't. Ludwig played mini-golf about as horribly as he did regular golf, and in the end, suffered another crushing defeat by his youngest brother.

After leaving the mini-golf course, Jr. howled in laughter at his oldest brother all while Ludwig's face was as red as a tomato, and he thought to himself, _I'll let little Jr. have his fun now; he'll pay for it later!_

They continued to walk until they reached a movie theater. Jr. stopped laughing and Ludwig regained his calm as they looked over the movies that were showing and pondered over which one they wanted to watch. Ludwig was into musicals and, secretly, horror flicks, but he knew that Jr. would probably prefer something funny, so Jr. and he decided on a comedy film.

They paid for tickets, each got a large drink, Jr. got a large carton of popcorn, and Ludwig got a large bag of M&Ms. They luckily found them a spot to sit in the center of the large theater and waited for the movie to start. Throughout the movie, Jr. and Ludwig would both laugh like hyenas. Jr. was surprised by how maniacal Ludwig's laughter could be; his laughter could get just as insane as Iggy's laughs could. Sometimes, Ludwig's eyes would water from laughing so hard, as well as Jr.'s.

After the movie ended and they went out of the theater, they pondered over what they should do next. "Why don't we go to the beach first, then go to the carnival; how does that sound?" Ludwig told Jr.

"Fine by me!" Jr. cheerfully replied. So, as they were walking to the beach, Ludwig yawned as he thought to himself, _This has been such a LONG day; I'm starting to become exhausted and yet, Jr. still has lots of energy and wants to do more things,_ then he had a guilty look as he thought,_ Today really has been a fun day. I've really enjoyed the time I've had with Jr.; he's brought out a side of me that hasn't seen light in years. Maybe I could reconsider my original plan…,_ but then he shook that thought out of his head as Jr. and he reached the beach.

Jr. wanted to play in the water, and Ludwig let him do so while he decided to rest and sunbathe. After a while, Jr. wanted Ludwig to build a sand castle with him. After they built a sand castle that looked like their home, Ludwig decided to rent two surfboards, and Jr. and he went surfing for a while.

Afterwards, they went to the huge amusement park. Ludwig started having his mixed feelings about Jr. again, but he continued to throw the thoughts out of his head as Jr. and he went to their first ride, which was the Dizzy Buzzy. After that ride, they played some of the games there, such as Win-a-Blitty and Shoot the Paragoomba, which Jr. won a small stuffed piranha plant that he stuffed inside his shell. Then they rode on several rides, including bumper karts and the rollercoaster. Finally, they headed toward the last ride, the ferris wheel.

As they were on the ferris wheel, Ludwig looked at his smiling brother with such a look of shame on his face as inner turmoil was eating away at his thoughts, _Jr. is having so much fun. I really shouldn't take that away from him. It's not his fault that he's Father's favorite. But, he's getting everything that's supposed to go to me! It's not fair! But doing this to Jr. is not fair either. Should I or shouldn't I go through with this?!_

* * *

Wendy was lying on her stomach, on her bed, as she looked at the sky outside her window. _It's sunset, and Jr.'s still not back! _A huge grin became plastered on her face. _Time to tell Daddy!_

She walked out of her room, down the stairs, and kept walking until she was in the throne room, where her daddy, the Koopa King Bowser, was sitting on his throne. When he saw his daughter, an annoyed expression appeared on his face. Usually, when Wendy wanted something from him, it was usually something materialistic. He asked her, "What do you want, Wendy? A new purse, a pet, a boyfriend?"

"No, that's not why I'm here," Wendy stated matter-of-factly, "I'm here to tell you that Jr. left the castle before noon saying that he was going to the toy store. He's STILL not back, and it's sunset! He's been gone for hours!"

Bowser chuckled to himself and then said, "He's probably been playing with lots of different toys there, probably causing lots of chaos! The boy's a chip off the old block!"

Wendy pouted and whined, "You're not gonna punish him?!"

"No," Bowser said with a smile, "I'll let him have his fun. He'll be back, just give him some time."

* * *

Ludwig and Jr. left the carnival, each with a stick of cotton candy that they were eating. Ludwig decided to tell Jr., "There is one last place I want to take you on this wonderful brothers' day. Follow me."

They threw away their half-eaten cotton candy, then Ludwig led Jr. down a path, up a steep slope, and kept walking until they came near the edge of a cliff. Jr. looked at what was in front of him with such amazement that he was frozen in his spot. It was sunset, and the setting sun looked so dazzling when it shone over the big, looming Exciteclubba City. "It's beautiful, isn't it brother?" Ludwig told Jr., with a smile, "I wanted for you and me to observe the sunset. It's so much more astonishing to watch atop this cliff. Why don't we sit together as we admire this breathtaking sight?" So they walked even closer to the edge of the cliff and sat down.

After watching the sunset for a few minutes, Jr. turned around and surprised Ludwig with a tight hug, all while saying, "Ludwig, this has been the bestest day of my life. I've had so much fun, and I've realized, you may be a smart fancy-pants, but you're so cool! You're the bestest brother ever!"

After Jr. said that, Ludwig felt a ping of guilt and remorse in his heart. He thought to himself, _How could I trick Jr. in such a way? I'm such a jerk! Jr. doesn't deserve this. I…love my youngest brother. He sees ME as a role model. We could hang out more often and be like best friends. But, no, I must go through with this; I can't let Jr. stay crown prince! That role wasn't made for him; it was made for me! But, I've had so much fun with Jr.; he's such a great little brother. But I must go through with this; I MUST!"_ Ludwig then told Jr., "Ich liebe dich; I love you, little brother."

"I love you too," Jr. replied back.

Afterwards, Jr. turned back around, then Ludwig reached into his shell and pulled out a pair of gloves that he brought with him on the brothers' day. He put the gloves on and then reached into his shell and pulled out a rope and the pouch that contained his knife. He took the knife out of the pouch, placed the pouch back in his shell, cut the rope in half with the knife, and hid the knife behind him. He then told Jr., "Put your arms behind your back. I will tie friendship bracelets on each of them that represent our newfound brotherly bondance."

Jr. did as he was told, and Ludwig tied Jr.'s hands together with one half of the rope. Ludwig then told Jr., "Turn around Jr.; I have a surprise for you." Jr. became giddy at the thought of a surprise, but when he turned around, Ludwig, whose knife was still hiding behind him and was out of Jr.'s sight, tied Jr.'s ankles together with the other half of the rope. Jr. began to twitch with uneasiness, and with a confused, worried look on his face, asked Ludwig, "Wha-What are you doing?"

Ludwig told Jr., with a sinister grin, "You'll see…," then grabbed the knife behind him and, with both hands grasped tightly around the knife and an expression of such anguish on his face, Ludwig gazed deep into Jr.'s eyes, then thrust the knife with such force deep into Jr.'s heart. "AHHHHHHH!!!!" Jr. screamed an ear-splitting shriek as blood started pooling from his chest.

Ludwig started shouting at him, "You don't deserve to be crown prince! I'M THE OLDEST! Father promised ME this role, you aren't getting away with taking it from me!!!" Ludwig continued thrusting the knife into little Jr.'s heart. Ludwig's dark, sadistic, maniacal laughter filled the air as Jr. seemed to shriek louder and louder shrill cried at each stab to the chest. Ludwig felt such an adrenaline rush as he dug the knife deeper and deeper into Jr.'s chest; he got a sick, twisted enjoyment out of torturing Jr. in such a way.

"Why do you have to be Father's favorite?! Why do you get so many privileges?! Why do you get to replace me as heir to the throne?! WHY, WHY, WHY?!!!!!!" Ludwig's insane laughter filled the air again as he continued screaming to Jr. as he continued stabbing him. "Scream and suffer in excruciating pain, little brother!!!!"

Finally, there was silence as the shrieks of agony stopped completely. Jr. spoke to Ludwig in a barely audible whisper, "Why, Ludwig…why? I thought you loved me…" then his eyes became cold and blank. He then closed his eyes as his blood flooded the barren ground. He stopped breathing and never opened his eyes again.

Jr. was dead.

* * *

**A/N: Sad end for Jr., huh? Stay tuned for Chapter 5!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's Chapter 5! All characters are property of Nintendo.

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The Fall of a Crown Prince: Chapter 5

Ludwig raced off. He had to get away. He continually thought to himself over and over again, _I just killed Jr., I just killed Jr., I just killed my little brother! _He left Jr.'s corpse in the very spot where he passed away. Ludwig knew that somebody would eventually find Jr., but he had to keep suspicion off himself. Ludwig never told Bowser about the brothers' day; nobody knew that Jr. and he were off in a huge city spending the day together. He set it up where it appeared that he has spent the day playing his piano, while Jr. told Wendy that he was going to the toy store, and more than likely, word has reached his father by now. Nobody should suspect that HE killed Jr.; after all, he has "been at home" all day.

When he was far away from the cliff and in the main part of Exciteclubba City again, he carefully slipped his gloves off and put them in a nearby trash can. He also noticed a rope beside the trash can and decided to grab it and place it inside his shell. He then ran off towards his father's castle, with a face evident of frustration at the horrible crime he has just committed.

When he was near the castle, he carefully searched around the castle grounds to make sure there were no guards, or any of his family members, around. After realizing the coast was clear, he walked until he was right under his bedroom window. He reached into his shell and pulled out the rope that he found in Exciteclubba City and his window's remote control. He then went back inside his room the same way he came out of it earlier that day and closed his window behind him.

Afterwards, he turned off his CD player, took the CD out of it, placed the CD back in its case, and placed it in its proper place on the CD rack. He then sat in the center of his bed as a tear trickled down his cheek. One tear became several tears, and soon, Ludwig was sobbing a river of tears. He was so upset with himself over what he'd done.

He was thinking to himself, _I've murdered my youngest brother. I've committed such a cruel, cold-blooded crime! Poor Jr., I loved him so much… I killed him over jealousy and actually got a sadistic, twisted enjoyment in his torture. I'm no better than Father. I've become a…monster! _Ludwig shuddered at that thought while he continued his crying fest. _I was friends with Jr.; we had fun today; we could've been best friends! Even though Jr. would've eventually become king, I could've been a second-in-command to him and still have a large say-so in the kingdom, but no, I had to take the easy way out and betray my brother!_

He continued bawling his eyes out and thinking unpleasant thoughts about his horrible crime for a while, then he lied down on his bed, tears still rolling down his cheeks although they ceased a bit. He was so exhausted; after all, look at all the activities he and Jr. were involved in that day. Eating at a Mexican restaurant, going to the mall, playing golf, watching a hilarious movie, going to the beach, riding rides and playing games at the amusement park; all that with Jr. plus the tiring stabbing murder of his brother and running away from it has drained every bit of energy that Ludwig had in his body. Ludwig's eyes became droopy, and then he drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

As he was sleeping, he began to dream…well actually it was more of a terrible nightmare. In his dream, he has successfully conquered not only the world, but the entire universe. Inner turmoil, however, caused the newly crowned Koopa King to snap. He murdered all of his disobeying servants with a gigantic chainsaw. Then raindrops of blood began to fall from the sky as Ludwig laughed like a cruel, insane loon. Suddenly, he fainted from the smell of warm blood coming from both the rain and from the scattered, shredded bodies that lied upon the vast land.

When he opened his eyes, he was looking at a padded, spongy white wall. He looked around him and realized that the room he was in was nothing but a small, closed-in space that was entirely padded, spongy, and white. He was a bit confused until he heard crazed giggling. A shadow came up from behind him; he turned his head to see nothing behind him, but when he turned his head back around, he was looking into the lenses of his demented brother Iggy's glasses.

Ludwig noticed that Iggy was wearing a straightjacket, to keep him from harming others or himself. Iggy laughed a loony giggle as he told Ludwig, "Hey, Ludwig! You enjoy being in this nuthouse, with me?!"

Ludwig looked at Iggy, puzzled, then said, "What am I doing in an insane asylum?! Apparently, I came on a weekly, perhaps daily, visit here to see you."

Hearing that, Iggy burst into a psychotic laughing fest, and then said, "Apparently, you misunderstood what I said. You aren't visiting me here; you're living here! Look, we even have matching outfits!" Ludwig was a bit confused until he looked down and saw that he, indeed, was suited in a straightjacket identical to Iggy's, well except the nametags, of course. Ludwig started hyperventilating and shouted, "I'm-I'm not crazy!"

"Are you serious?! First, you stabbed Jr. to death, then you sliced hundreds, maybe thousands, of your subjects with a chainsaw, all while laughing like a crazed maniac! Tell me that isn't crazy!" Iggy said matter-of-factly. Ludwig just stared at Iggy wide-eyed. He was speechless because he knew Iggy was right; he has certainly lost it.

He just stood there, shaking with such worry as Iggy continued his insane laughter. Suddenly, the door that locked Ludwig and Iggy in the spongy room burst open. Iggy gasped and Ludwig's mouth gaped open in horror. Standing in front of the burst-open door, with a machine gun and a hugely angry expression on his face, was Bowser Jr.

He glared into Ludwig's eyes with a deep bloodlust for revenge evident in his own eyes. He then screamed angrily at Ludwig, "You thought you could do away with your little brother like that, huh? Thought you could manipulate me into thinking that you actually loved me? You only wanted to seal your place as the future Koopa King! I loved you once, but now I hate you so much, and I have a burning passion, a desire, to make you PAY!"

Ludwig shrieked like a little girl as he ran towards the back of the room. Realizing he had nowhere to run or hide, he slowly crouched down and cowered in fear as Jr. slowly inched towards him. When Jr. got close enough to Ludwig, he aimed his machine gun at him, ready to fire. With his finger on the trigger of the gun, Jr. shouted, "Hasta la vista, big brother!" then pushed the trigger.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Ludwig screamed as the huge blast left him lying cold and lifeless on the ground, with Iggy and Jr.'s laughter in the background.

Ludwig awoke with a jolt as cold sweat poured down his face. His horrified face became calm and serene as he breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to himself, "It was only a dream." He then lied back down, got comfortable, and fell back asleep. For the rest of the night, he had a dreamless sleep; he didn't have another nightmare, especially one with Jr.

* * *

Several days passed and still Jr. hasn't come home. Bowser began worrying as to what could've happened to him. He thought to himself, _He could've run away from home, possibly got lost on the way back home, probably got kidnapped, even raped, or worse…_ Bowser was shaking in fear as he thought about the worse possible things that could've happened to Jr., but then he shook the negative thoughts out of his head as he thought to himself,

_No Bowser, you have to be positive. Jr. is probably wrecking havoc in several faraway towns right now. The boy will be back. Heck, he'll probably be at the front door any minute now, ready to tell his papa about all the awesome ruckus he's stirred._ But a nagging feeling kept telling Bowser that something horrible has happened to Jr. _But after all this time, wouldn't he be back by now?! _Bowser decided to give in to his nagging thoughts and pondered over possible solutions to the situation until one great idea came to mind. "I should organize a search party!" he said.

* * *

Ludwig felt horrible. Ever since he murdered Jr., he has had haunting nightmares every night that involved Jr., including his first nightmare recurring often. He barely ate his meals anymore; sometimes he wouldn't even touch his food, and after a while he would ask his father to let him be excused from the table. When his siblings asked him to play with them, he would politely decline the offer and head up to his room, shutting himself away from the outside world.

In fact, every time he had the chance, he would seclude himself in his room, wallowing in remorse and mourning over his brother. The shame he felt ate upon his conscious. He seldom played his piano; when he did, the songs he played were prone to becoming depressing, and Ludwig often had to stop to keep his misery from worsening. Most of the time, he would sit on the edge of his bed, sobbing to himself as he glanced outside his window.

He felt hollow inside, so empty…

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 6 is coming soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm sorry to say that this is the last chapter to this story. I appreciate all of the wonderful reviews throughout the story! I hope you enjoy the ending! All characters are property of Nintendo.

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The Fall of a Crown Prince: Chapter 6

The other six koopalings were curious as to where Jr. could be. Wendy especially thought to herself, _I KNEW Jr. wasn't going to the toy store! But, question is, WHERE did he go? Oh, I shouldn't have let him outside the castle by himself!_ Lemmy was chatting with Iggy and told him, "The last time I saw Jr., he was trying to balance on one of my circus balls in my room. I left the room to see what you were up to, and that's the last time I saw him."

The koopalings were all chatting about Jr.'s disappearance as Ludwig joined in, unnoticed, with puffy red eyes that signified his latest mourning over Jr. Roy finally noticed him and stared at his depressed expression as he said, "Ludwig, you been cryin'?"

Ludwig just stared back at Roy as he replied, "…I'm just rather tired, okay?" Roy didn't answer, just stared back. He, as well as his other siblings, has noticed that Ludwig has been keeping to himself lately, that he seems depressed. _Maybe dat time where he spent nearly the entire day playing his piano has made 'im dat way. I know it'd make ME dat way!_ Roy thought to himself, then really pondered over that. _But ain't he had other times where he was playin' da piano all day? He didn't act sad dose otha times!_

Suddenly, Bowser, along with the trusty magikoopa Kamek, came to meet the koopalings. The koopalings were all meeting in the throne room because Bowser called for an official meeting. The koopalings immediately became silent at Bowser's presence and waited for him to speak. Bowser looked at the faces of all his children, then cleared his throat and began to talk.

"Children, I know you're curious as to what this meeting's about." All his children nodded and then he spoke again, "As you all are well aware of, Jr. supposedly went to the toy store several days ago and hasn't been back since; he's went missing. So, I've come up with the idea of organizing a search party to look for him. They've been searching high and low; in the Darklands and beyond, for a few days and still haven't found him or heard any news about him, but I assure you, we'll find something out soon."

Upon hearing this, Ludwig began to feel nervous and sick to his stomach, but he had to remind himself that he's carefully took steps to keep suspicion off himself. Even though he hung around Jr. in Exciteclubba City, there's so much bustling and excitement there, and massive crowds, that it was very unlikely that anyone really recognized them, or even paid any real attention to them, for that matter. _But still SOMEONE could've noticed…, _Ludwig thought to himself.

Just then, a koopatrol and a hammer bro. burst through the door of the throne room. They were frantically shouting, "KING BOWSER! KING BOWSER! SIR! SIR!!!"

Bowser, hearing their urgency, told them, "Have you found out anything on Jr.?"

The koopatrol told him with a shaky tone, "Y-Yes we f-found him…"

"Well then, where is he?!" Bowser said with an annoyed tone. "I want to see his happy smiling face right now!"

The hammer bro.'s face then scrunched up in worry as he told Bowser, in a saddened tone, "You misunderstood what my comrade just said. We found the young prince. Unfortunately…" he paused, not wanting to finish, but did so anyway, "W-We f-found his… lifeless corpse up-upon a cliff n-near Ex-Exciteclubba City…"

Bowser's face transformed into an upset appearance as he choked out the words, "Lifeless… c-corpse… y-you… mean… h-he's…" The two minions slowly nodded their heads. Bowser just stood as still as a statue, with a look of shock and disgust frozen upon his face. Suddenly, he burst into a crying fit. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Jr. my son, no! Not my son…"

As Bowser was crying, the other koopalings were frozen with shock upon hearing the news as well, and Lemmy and some of the younger koopalings began crying. "Oh Jr.! I shouldn't have left you in my room by yourself! I'm such an awful older brother!" Lemmy yelled out.

"No, my little brother is dead. WHY?!" Morton bawled out.

"Is he really dead?!" Wendy said with a sad and confused tone.

As he watched his father and siblings get so emotional over Jr.'s death, Ludwig decided to stay calm. None of his family, or anyone else for that matter, knew that he cried over Jr. practically every day, and he wanted to keep it that way. He hated seeing his family take this situation like this; it hurt him inside. _If only they knew…they would severely loathe me._

After Bowser finally regained some of his composure, he shakily asked his two minions, "D-Do you have h-his b-body with y-you?" The two minions looked at each other with a nervous look as if trying to get the other to tell Bowser something very horrid. Finally, the koopatrol decided to speak, "Well no, we kinda left him where we found him…" he hesitated for a second, then continued, "You see, apparently his death was…" He stopped himself completely.

Bowser became irritated as his patience was wearing thin, and he demanded to the koopatrol, "Finish what you were telling me, NOW!!!"

At that, the koopatrol finished, "Apparently his death was… A MURDER!!! Yes, it appears that someone has stabbed him to death…" At this news, Bowser, the koopalings, and even Kamek dropped their mouths open at the shocking news. Bowser then boomed out, "WHAATTTT?!!!!!!!!"

"Y-Yes, he was murdered," the hammer bro. spoke up. "If you want us to, we can lead you to the site of the young prince's death."

Bowser, with an upset voice, replied back, "Yes… I-I would like th-that. Children, Kamek, let's go." So the royal koopa family and Kamek followed the two minions out of the castle, to the cliff of Jr.'s murder.

* * *

As they traversed through Exciteclubba City, several clubbas and shy guys were running frantically, screaming, "BOWSER! BOWSER! RUN!!!" The entire city became chaotic as several citizens and visitors ran around, searching everywhere for a place to hide. The stores, restaurants, and several other businesses closed in response to the barging-in of the Koopa King. Bowser, however, ignored them as he continued on towards the cliff.

When they finally reached the cliff and got near its edge, the entire group stared in horror at Jr.'s dead body. Jr. had a huge gash upon his chest where he'd been stabbed, and dried blood was all over him and on the ground around him. Bowser rushed over to his deceased son; tears falling from his eyes.

"Jr.! My son! Oh, who did this to you?! Why, why did I let you go off by yourself? I'm such a horrible father!" Bowser said as he hugged his dead son, trembling with such sadness. Lemmy and the younger koopalings started squalling at the sight of their murdered brother. Iggy, after a bit, began to bawl insanely as well. Even Roy had a few tears rolling down his cheeks from underneath his sunglasses, but Ludwig just stood there, watching his father with Jr.; the only emotion evident from him was a frustrated look on his face.

He was amazed by how much his father really cared for Jr. It was apparent Jr. was Bowser's favorite child, but Ludwig was still shocked over how his father could act so ferocious around his minions and his enemies, but yet, act so genuinely concerned over his youngest child. _He loves Jr. so much, just as I do…_ Ludwig thought to himself.

Bowser then called for Ludwig, "Ludwig, my oldest son, come here please." With that, Ludwig walked over to Bowser, who was still hugging and mourning over Jr., with a bit of worry deep inside. Bowser spoke again. "Ludwig, as you well know, Jr. was the next in line to become King of the Koopas. Unfortunately, his life ended at such a young age…" he paused for a moment, then continued, "So son…I want you to take that role again. I rename you as crown prince."

Ludwig looked at him with shock. "Are you serious, Father?"

Bowser nodded and then told him, "Yes son. I trust you in properly ruling the kingdom when it comes time. You're smart, strong, sophisticated, talented, and mature. You fit perfectly with the role as Koopa King."

Ludwig smiled and told his father, "Thank you; I won't disappoint you when it comes my time to become king," however his eyes were still troubled.

Kamek, who was beside Bowser the entire time, spoke up, "Well, let's make it official then." Kamek summoned magic from his wand and made a document and a pen appear. He then gave them to Ludwig. "Here, sign this. This paper is the official document that states you are, indeed, the next in line to become Koopa King. The spot as crown prince is officially yours. Just have your father sign it after you have done so."

Ludwig signed the document, then he gave it to Bowser, who also signed it. Bowser then gave the document and pen back to Kamek, who, with a "poof!" made them disappear again. "I placed the document in a special place amongst the other important documents in the castle. It's in a safe spot; I assure you," he told them.

Afterwards, Bowser told Ludwig, "I love you son. I know you will make me proud when your time comes to rule over the Darklands."

Ludwig then walked over to his father and gave him a tight hug. He told his father, "I love you too, Father. I will rule over the kingdom to the best of my ability." Bowser smiled a warm smile as he hugged Ludwig back. Then Ludwig pulled back, and Bowser started mourning over Jr. again.

"Oh Jr.! You were too young to die! Why, why did someone have to be so heartless and murder such a young child like you? I assure you son, I WILL find your murderer! They won't get away with doing this to you! Oh Jr.! It's all my fault! I should've been watching you, but no, I let you go outside the castle by yourself! What's wrong with me?! You don't deserve this!"

Ludwig kept his eyes locked on his father. He was so upset, seeing his father continue to sob over Jr. He couldn't stand to see his father act this way. _He can't go on like this… It seems that he can't live without dear Jr. I feel sorry for him; it's my fault he is in such a pitiful state… I can't take this anymore! _Ludwig thought to himself.

His frustration attacked him so much that he finally snapped. He quickly reached into his shell and yanked out the knife he killed Jr. with. He then, with a tear sliding down his cheek, slammed and thrust the knife deep into his father's chest. His siblings, the koopatrol, the hammer bro., and Kamek all stared and gasped at the horror that was unfolding right before their very eyes.

Ludwig stabbed Bowser several more times while sobbing and screaming. He then stopped and, while crying his eyes out, shouted at Bowser, "Why did you replace me with my little brother?! Why did you favor Jr. over me and the rest of your children?! You're such a jerk for doing this to me! And now, you must pay for your actions!"

With another blood-curdling scream, Ludwig jerked the knife out of his father and shanked him some more, blood spurting from Bowser's chest. Stopping again, Ludwig finally screamed out his dark secret.

"I can't take it anymore! You want to know the truth?! I KILLED JR.!!!! ME!!!! I'm his murderer!" Tears spilled down his cheeks as he continued with a sob-filled voice, "I wasn't really in my room playing my piano, and Jr. wasn't really going to the toy store! It was all a hoax! I tricked Jr. into spending time with me on a brothers' day! The truth is, after a while, I realized I was really having fun with Jr. I really thought twice about killing him…" he paused and looked into his father's eyes with deep sadness, then continued,

"But I already got that far; it had to be done. I took him on this cliff to watch the sunset with me. Little Jr., he hugged me and said that I was his best brother ever… the guilt then struck me. I loved him… and I put him through all this! My doubts continued to attack me, but I had to go through with the murder; I had to seal my spot as crown prince again! That role was promised to ME first. I'm the eldest child… why should my youngest brother have the right to treat me as a minion?" he paused for a second as his father stared at him, with shock at Ludwig's true intentions. Ludwig continued,

"So, I tied his wrists and ankles together, grabbed my knife, looked into his worry-filled eyes with a hint of regret in mine, and then… stabbed him several times, hearing his cries of agony. That's not the worst part; however, the worst part is… I ENJOYED IT!!! I laughed like a maniac at every shriek poor Jr. could manage from his throat. Afterwards, however, when he took his last breath and passed on, I immediately felt remorse for my actions. Jr. didn't deserve to die! Every day since, I've mourned and sobbed over him; he haunts me in my sleep; I barely eat; even my piano doesn't comfort me anymore…"

Ludwig closed his eyes tightly shut as he deeply burned with remorse, then continued, "I realize, it wasn't Jr.'s fault he became heir to the throne, it was YOURS!!! You play favorites. I was once your favorite, but Jr. has replaced me. Same goes with the crown prince situation. You replaced me with Jr. because he was your new favorite. I understand, he was very similar to you; I don't blame you. The fact is, you deserve the fate that Jr. endured! But, seeing you like this, I realize how much you really loved and cared for Jr." Ludwig had a faint smile form on his face for a mere second, then he became serious again.

"Father… I'm doing a favor for both Jr. and yourself. You richly deserve this torturous end, but there is a wondrous side to this. You and your beloved youngest son can finally be reunited. I had to make it up to my dear brother for so ruthlessly taking away his life. So, my dear father, this is your punishment, but also Jr.'s reward and your wanted reunion with him…"

Ludwig pulled the knife from his father's chest again. He raised his knife up high in the air, and with several falling tears and a trembling jaw, he delivered one final swift blow to his father's chest. Bowser began to cough up blood due to the knife's incredible depth in his chest; the knife went straight through his heart. Ludwig told his father, "Say hello to Jr., please."

Bowser, trembling, stared deep into his oldest son's eyes. He was terrified of what his son's become. A true lunatic hidden under a mask of deep sophistication and refinery. He asked Ludwig, "Why son, why?"

Ludwig told him, "I love you, Father. Farewell." With one final breath, Bowser fell to the ground, his eyes closing permanently. Ludwig stood quietly, staring back at his two deceased family members. His youngest brother… and his father. _They are now reunited. I believe that is what they both wanted. _Ludwig thought to himself.

He looked at Kamek, then the koopatrol and hammer bro., then his siblings. They all had a frozen look of shock on their faces, but he also noted another apparent emotion they showed. The emotion… of fear. Fear of what their oldest brother, or young master, has become. All along, regardless of his high intelligence, sophistication, cultured nature, and maturity, deep down inside, Ludwig was a psychopath. His family now knows his true colors, but Ludwig himself doesn't fully understand.

All stood silently for a while until Kamek spoke up. "Wait just a second. We don't have a king anymore." Ludwig, along with his siblings and the two minions looked at Kamek with a spark of curiosity in their eyes. Kamek continued, "You killed our king, so now we have to replace him. You killed the crown prince, however… but right before you killed our king, he officially made you crown prince again, so that means…"

Ludwig had a face full of shock and excitement as he shouted, "I get to be the new king! Immediately! I'm the King of the Koopas now!"

Kamek, with a shaky voice, replied, "Ex-Exactly, b-but we have to cr-crown you f-first for it to b-be official. Ludwig's face had a satisfied smile. His siblings' shock deepened after finding out that their murderous, newly-revealed-to-be-psychopathic brother was now going to be their new ruler. All of them, even tough Roy and insane Iggy, were trembling with fear of their eldest brother.

Ludwig told his siblings, "Come, siblings. We have several things that we must prepare for!" So Ludwig led his siblings, Kamek, and the two minions towards the direction of his father's castle, leaving the lifeless Bowser and Jr. behind.

* * *

So, within the next couple of days, Ludwig was crowned the new King of the Koopas; the new King of the Darklands. Afterwards, he arranged a HUGE funeral for his deceased brother and father. Thousands attended the funeral, including Princess Peach, the Mario Bros., and several other Mushroom Kingdom citizens.

Everyone by now was aware that Ludwig was the murderer of both Bowser and Bowser Jr. For this reason, he struck fear into everyone's hearts, even his siblings, throughout his reign. Regardless of all the fear he causes others, he also garnered much respect. He may have been a hidden psychopath, but he was well-respected because he was a GREAT ruler.

He conquered several lands, although he decided to make a truce with the Mushroom Kingdom and promised Princess Peach that his kingdom wouldn't cause any harm to her kingdom. He treated his subjects with respect and allowed his siblings to help him with his ruling. Everything seemed to go perfectly well… except one thing.

He never forgot about his two murders, and every once in a while, he was haunted in his sleep with a nightmare that involved his father and youngest brother. Regardless, he believed that his father and little brother were living happily together in their reunion in the heavens.

He still believed that he did the right thing in both their murders; Bowser and Jr. were reunited and he became king. Everyone was happy, and Ludwig hoped that, when the time came, Bowser and Jr. would be happy to welcome him with open arms.

And so, everyone ended up getting what they wanted after all.

**THE END**

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A/N: I hoped you liked the ending of this story!!! Don't worry, I have another story planned. Be sure to be on the lookout for it! Again, thank you to everyone who took the time to read my story!**


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